Netflix‘s lush and masterful Marco Polo tells the story of the early years of the legendary Italian merchant who finds himself at the mercy of the Mongolian Emperor Kublai Khan. In a court filled with political unrest and upheaval, Marco Polo must learn to make a path for himself despite being an outsider. We got a chance to talk with the star of Marco Polo, Italian actor Lorenzo Richelmy, who told us about learning English for the role and its additive second season.
Hi Lorenzo how are you?
Lorenzo Richelmy: Hi! I’m good thank you, how are you?
I’m great thanks! I really appreciate the opportunity to chat with you about Marco Polo especially now that season two is available for streaming.
LR: Of course!
Well to get the ball rolling, I wanted to talk to you about what steps you took in order to prepare to become such an iconic character. Marco Polo is really a mythical historical figure, so what did you do to prepare for the role?
LR: Well actually, we know Marco Polo as this big man, this legend, but actually I got the opportunity to start at the beginning. So, this means that I was able to allow myself some wiggle room. A big part of the show, at least for my character, is this kid becoming a man in such a crazy world. He is in Mongolia in the 15th century and he’s in the charge of the most powerful man there, Kublai Khan. So to prepare, I had to learn everything from the beginning. From, the language to horseback riding; everything.
Wow!
LR: I really put myself in the position to be Marco Polo. Like him I’m from Italy and suddenly I’m thrown into a huge American show where I’m the lead actor, and I could not understand anything that these people were saying to me, because I couldn’t understand English. So, that was part of the world. I was really lucky because, John Fusco, the creator of the show has a real passion for Asia and in particular for Marco Polo, so he gave me a ton of books to read and to study so that I could really get into the atmosphere of the world. Everyday on set we had a Chinese cultural counselor and a Mongolian cultural counselor to see if we did something wrong or too modern. It was a beautiful immersion into this part of our history. So I changed with the show. If you pay attention to season one from episode one to episode ten, my voice is different, my body is different… all of those things you learn in that quick amount of time. So, I’m really glad this happened for me because I got a chance to learn a lot.
What stuck out most about the show for me is that it’s so rich and intricate. From the settings to the costumes, it was just so lush, but I wanted to ask, what is the hardest scene that you’ve ever had to shoot for the show?
LR: Well, the war at the end of season one was shot in South Malaysia, so it was crazy hot. I’ve never felt that hot in my life. We were wearing leather jackets and we had the armor on, and these super heavy weapons. So that was keeping the energy on set really low. I remember the last week, the actors were so messed up that the producers decided to order cooling baths.
Oh that’s nice!
LR: So we got these inner jackets with pipes with tubes coming out, and every other break when we called cut, there were people rushing onto the field bringing these bags of cold water and we would plug in the tubes, and we would have like twenty-seconds of [relief] and then you start again.
[Laughing] Fantastic! Well, I know one of the most talked about aspects of Marco Polo is that ninety-seven percent of the cast is either Asian or some other ethnic minority. Why is diversity in entertainment so important?
LR: It’s so important because it means that with this show we’re changing the rules. We’re doing an American show, because Netflix is American, with no American actors. Netflix is changing the rules with Marco Polo in general, because [Hollywood] never focuses on Eastern culture or Asia during that time. It’s just beautiful because we’re getting away from that culture where you’re used to seeing the same faces, and the same people working. Now Netflix is opening that door for a lot more people. For example, Benny [Benedict Wong] the actor who plays Kublai Khan, he’s done great work before, but now that he’s got this job, he’s in a Marvel movie; he’s doing a lot of things. When Netflix does things like this, it affects everything.
Of course. It opens so many doors.
LR: Yes, but not just that, it’s the choice to focus on something that is our history. It’s been really rewarding to show people that our history can be entertaining. Season two now is all about intrigue, politics, sex, the trials, everything like that but it’s mainly our history, and that is [Marco Polo’s] added value. So I think Netflix is really doing a great job because you can really do a show that entertains people and helps them learn something about different cultures.
Speaking of Netflix, how has the experience been for you moving from traditional television to this streaming platform?
LR: For me, Marco Polo was the biggest set that I had ever been on. When you’re doing something in Italy, you always have to rush which affects the quality. So when you can do things in this way, for me it was really a revelation. The first two directors I worked with on Marco Polo were nominated for the Best Foreign Movie at the Academy Awards so, you are working with those people, and you are like, “Wow, this is the best of the best.”
What has been the biggest difference for you in prepping between seasons one and two?
LR: Of course I had to do some preparation again. I had to get into shape, practice my English and all of the martial arts. But, it was much easier because everything was already there. Another fun part about season two was the fact that the Chinese stunt guys that were teaching me, they are always just nodding or saying nothing if you do something wrong. For the first time, they clapped for me; they applauded! So I was like “Whoa!, I did it right for the first time.” It was much easier, and then of course for season two Marco Polo can fight much better than he did in season one.
Wonderful! So, why should people be watching Marco Polo if they aren’t already? Why is the series so important?
LR: I think that especially with season two, Netflix created the most addictive story that you can ever imagine, while talking about our history which is why people should definitely give it a shot.
Perfect! Thank you so much Lorenzo, it was wonderful to speak with you.
LR: Thank you!
Seasons one and two of Marco Polo are currently streaming on Netflix!
